In 1995, Highland Park High School in Dallas
created parent advisory councils to work with faculty to enrich
academic life at HPHS. A rich and lasting legacy of this initiative is The Highland Park Literary Festival, which was born from collaboration between the English parent council and the HPHS English Department.
In 2006, the Literary Festival celebrates its 10th Anniversary.
Three "generations" of Highland Park High School students have now
enjoyed close interaction with distinguished authors, including Michael Chabon, Doug Wright, Marion Winik, Tim O’Brien, and Russell Banks, and the public has been treated to superb readings by and conversations with our featured writers. We are so pleased that our 10th Anniversary keynote speaker is Kaye Gibbons, author of Ellen Foster, Divining Women, and other superb novels.
Each festival opens with a keynote assembly by our featured author, followed by two days of writer-student workshops that are the heart of the festival. The 2006 festival will offer over 90 workshops
by novelists, journalists, poets, songwriters, playwrights, and
essayists. Each festival includes workshops by HPHS alumni, and our
authors come from as near as SMU and as far away as Boston.